Space Meets Plate: A Malaysian Restaurant Links Its Interiors With Its Culinary Philosophy

Design: Spacemen Studio

Client: Barkar KL Sdn Bhd.

Floor Area: 410 sq-m

With an interior that epitomizes the concept of primordial community cooking, Bar Kar invites guests to embark on a culinary journey that starts well before the first course is served.

KEY FEATURES

Upon entering Kuala Lumpur restaurant Bar Kar, quests are immediately immersed in the establishment’s culinary philosophy, which is centred on the idea of wood-fired dining and primordial community cooking. A pathway lined with firewood leads to an expansive and cavernous interior characterized by earthy terracotta hues that draw from the ancient earth oven pits historically utilized for underground food preparation and smoking. The focal points of the space are a circular bar counter crafted from red travertine and a seating area with a fiery gold metal mesh sculpture: both imaginative representations of the primal elements of heat and fire. Visitors can choose to communally view the woodfire cooking up close by joining the Chef’s Table, or dine more privately in a ‘cocoon-like sanctuary’ that takes its inspiration from the organic contours of a cave.

FRAME’S TAKE

The Michelin Guide states that ‘the style of a restaurant [has] no bearing whatsoever on the award’. But is it possible to entirely separate the environment from the meal? And even if Michelin inspectors can do it, can guests? It’s a question our editor at large Tracey Ingram posed in her exploration of Experimental Gastronomy dinners, published in FRAME 149 and featuring both the Bompas & Parr-designed pop-up dinners in the Saudi Arabian desert city of Al-’Ula and the staggered spatial experience at restaurant Äng in Sweden. Bar Kar makes a strong case for the exact opposite: letting the two reinforce each other. With an interior that supports Bar Kar’s culinary philosophy and cooking process, Spacemen Studio shows how unifying space and plate can help solidify the dining experience in a visitor’s memory.